


Heart and Souls

by dbw



Series: The Emerald Tablet [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-26
Updated: 2009-11-26
Packaged: 2017-10-03 18:36:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dbw/pseuds/dbw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part Two of The Emerald Tablet (sequel to All Quiet on the Hellmouth).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted October 1999

Spin, kick, punch, stake. One vampire dusted and the next sprawled on the ground. The third leapt at her with his arms outstretched. She staked him easily and shook her head. Didn't they ever learn? Thank god they didn't, she thought as she turned her attention to the remaining vamp. The sounds of battle continued behind her, but none of her friends had called for help. A good sign.

The vampire crouched in a fighting posture, an ornate dagger in his right hand. Buffy was surprised when he didn't come at her again. He wasn't even looking at her, but seemed to be focused on what was happening behind her.

"What's the matter, afraid of little ol' me?" she taunted. That did the trick. With a roar he ran at her brandishing the knife. A punch in the face stopped his headlong rush. She hissed at a sudden pain in her arm. The knife had grazed her forearm with a shallow cut. Blood dripped from the open wound.

"Oh, that is so not what I need right now!" Contemptuously she pivoted, kicked the knife out of the vamp's hand, and completed the turn to bring the stake up and plunge it into his chest. She let her breath out slowly as the dust settled.

Buffy turned to help her friends, only to see Giles stake the remaining vampire who had Willow pinned on the ground. Xander slowly pushed himself up from the dirt where he had fallen face first after dusting his vampire.

"Everyone all right?" Giles asked as he looked around. He offered his hand to Willow and easily pulled the slight redhead up off the ground.

"Buffy!" Willow cried. "You're bleeding." She turned to the tall man next to her. "Giles, she's bleeding."

"I see it Willow," he said as he covered the short distance to his Slayer. He lifted her arm to examine the cut in the faint moonlight. "What happened?" he asked softly.

Buffy looked up at her Watcher and noticed in a detached way that he seemed to be wavering around the edges. All sort of fuzzy, in fact. "The last vamp had a knife. Guess I got careless and he cut me. It's not that bad. Not deep or anything. Just a little blood." Her voice grew faint as she spoke until she was whispering the last word. She noticed that Giles was wearing his concerned face and wanted to ask him what was wrong, but that was the moment everything chose to go black.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

"Buffy!" Giles managed to catch her before she toppled over backwards. Her body was limp and her head lolled back. He scooped her up in his arms. "The wound isn't that bad. She shouldn't have passed out like this. Willow, get the car." Willow took off at a run.

"Where's that bloody knife?" Giles looked around at the ground, praying that the knife had been dropped before Buffy had staked the vampire.

Xander picked up an object half hidden behind a headstone. "This it?" He brought it over to Giles.

Giles took one look at the dagger Xander was holding so negligently and sucked in his breath. "Be careful! Don't touch the blade, Xander. There's magic on it. I can feel it." He almost smiled as Xander nearly dropped the dagger. "You should be all right so long as you grasp it by the hilt and don't let yourself be pricked by it."

"Should? I got to tell you, I'm not liking what I'm hearing. I'd like to hear a nice, positive `that can't hurt you, Xander'."

A smile quirked the corners of Giles' mouth as he watched Xander subtly shift his grip on the hilt so that he firmly held the dagger pointed down and away.

The sound of the car drew their attention. They made their way carefully across the cemetery to where Willow waited in Giles' old Citroen.

"There's a towel in the trunk. Wrap that thing carefully and leave it there. I don't want any accidents with it while we're in the car. Willow, quickly. Help me put Buffy on the rear seat. You'll need to ride with her and keep her steady."

Willow pushed the books on the rear seat to the floor. Giles winced slightly at the sound they made as they hit the ancient floorboards. Oh well, I did tell her to be quick, he thought. He glanced down at Buffy's still face resting against his chest and felt his heart constrict.

"Giles?" Willow asked anxiously. "I'm ready. Giles?"

"Oh, yes." He maneuvered Buffy onto the rear seat, her head pillowed on Willow's lap. Xander was in the front seat waiting for him. Giles pushed the driver's seat back, shifted into first and quickly revved the engine.

"Giles, what was on the dagger?" Willow asked.

"What?" Giles asked, his concentration on the road ahead.

"Not now, Will. Don't distract the man while he's driving." Xander uneasily met Willow's eyes over the seat back. Their silent look conveyed their fear to one another as clearly as if they had spoken.

They pulled up in front of Giles' condo. Giles picked Buffy up and rushed her through the front door. Willow and Xander got out and followed slowly behind him, Xander carefully carrying the towel-wrapped dagger.

"Giles?"

Giles heard the faint sound of Willow's voice and called out, "Up here." He barely noticed when they entered his bedroom. He put the last piece of tape on Buffy's bandage and then found that he couldn't move. He finally looked up when he felt a small hand on his shoulder. Willow stood over him as he knelt by the bed, concern etched on her lovely face.

"Giles, what was on the dagger? What's wrong with Buffy?" Troubled, she looked at her friend's still form.

"I wish I knew, Willow," said Giles softly. "I could tell it was enspelled when Xander showed it to me. But I don't know with what kind of magic. I don't know what it's going to do to her."

"I wish she'd move," Willow said. "It's unnerving seeing her so still."

"So, shouldn't we be trying to find out what this dagger thing is, then? I mean, if you're going to figure out what to do about it you need to know what it is, right?" Xander asked nervously, his eyes never leaving Buffy.

Giles smiled to himself. "Right you are, thank you for volunteering."

"Wait, me, volunteer? When did I do that?" Xander asked halfheartedly and then shook his head in resignation. "All right, I can be research boy again. What do you want me to do?"

Giles gave him a grateful smile and handed over his keys. "I left some books in my office at the University. They're stacked on the corner of my desk. Take my car. Bring all of them back with you. Willow, I'll need for you to go online and see what you can find out. Be very careful when you unwrap that dagger. We don't know what the potential for harm is with it." He took a deep breath. "I need to stay here with Buffy, in case..." his voice trailed off as he looked back down at the Slayer.

Willow gently squeezed his shoulder before removing her hand. "Don't worry, Giles. We'll find out what it is. Leave it to us."

"Yeah. When have you ever known us to not figure things out?" Xander smiled tentatively at them. "OK, don't go there. When have you ever known Will to not figure things out?"

"Oh, I know!" Willow exclaimed. "I can use my new digital camera to photograph the dagger. That way we can examine it without having to touch it! Let's go Xander. You can take me to the dorm and we'll pick up my laptop and the camera on the way to Giles office." She grabbed Xander's hand and pulled him out the door.

Giles sat back on his heels and gazed at the doorway fondly. They were as concerned about him as they were about Buffy, he knew. He shook his head and tried to clear it of the paralysis he felt. He turned back to his Slayer and watched her carefully. She was breathing easily and didn't seem to be in any pain. At least he wasn't sitting there watching her suffer. She looked so small and fragile when she was still like this. He reached out a hand to smooth a lock of blonde hair back from her forehead and nearly jumped when she turned into his hand and murmured something.

"Buffy? Can you hear me?"

She moved restlessly on the bed for a moment. He waited, but there was nothing further. He sighed and removed her shoes and socks and covered her with a light quilt. Mechanically he cleaned the mess left from bandaging her wound and put the first aid kit away in the bathroom. Another check assured him that there was no change in her condition before he went downstairs.

Giles desperately needed a scotch. Instead he put the kettle on for tea. The time for a drink, he told himself, was when he didn't need one. Alcohol in his bloodstream was not going to help solve this problem. He fussed about in the kitchen while he waited for the water to boil and then set the tea to steep. He fixed himself a cup and wandered out into the living room.

Piles of books littered the floor. Really have to get those straightened out, he thought. The books had taken over his apartment ever since they destroyed the high school library last summer when they stopped the Mayor's ascension. Buffy and the others had begun to consider his home as their base of operations. He hadn't been able to come up with a workable alternative to the library and it was driving him crazy. Even the bookcases he'd recently purchased weren't going to be enough.

Giles selected a stack of books from the floor, picked up his tea, and made his way upstairs to the bedroom. Buffy appeared not to have moved while he was gone. He set the books on the floor next to the overstuffed chair in the corner of the room, turned on the reading lamp and grimly prepared for a long night of research.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Giles opened his eyes. He'd fallen asleep in the chair; a book propped against his chest. For a moment he couldn't remember why he was in the chair instead of his bed, but a slight movement from the bed brought the night's disaster crashing down around him.

Buffy stirred, pushing at the quilt and muttering incoherently. Giles sat on the edge of the bed and touched her forehead. Heat radiated from her skin. His touch seemed to ease her restlessness. He smoothed the damp hair back from her face. They had to find the countermeasure, he thought. It would be intolerable if they didn't.

Giles shied away from what it might mean if they were unsuccessful. He concentrated instead on Xander's words - `We've never let you down before.' He had to trust that they would find the answers and that it would be all right.

Buffy was resting easier. Giles sighed and went back to his chair and his research. He made it through a few pages when the sound of her voice startled him.

"Giles?" she asked huskily.

He quickly made his way to her side. "Yes, Buffy. I'm here," he said.

"Giles?" Again came the hesitant question, and then she was quiet and still. It was then that Giles noticed that her eyes were closed. Was she dreaming, he wondered or something worse? He sat on the bed again, loathe to leave her side.

"Oh, God, no! Please don't let him be hurt! Not again." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Giles wondered at the pain in her voice. Who was she talking about? Who caused her so much concern? A nasty little voice whispered to him. You know. Of course it's him, mate. Her Angel. Who else could it be? Giles shook his head, annoyed that he'd even bother with such thoughts.

Her voice was pleading now. "Please. Please let Giles be all right. Don't let him die. Please." Her head turned back and forth on the pillow and tears slipped from her closed eyes to slide down the sides of her face.

Giles started. It must be another of her nightmares. He was stunned. He'd known that they had upset her, but until now he hadn't comprehended just how badly she'd been hurt. Unconsciously he reached out to brush her cheek with his hand. The movement of her head stopped and the tense muscles of her neck relaxed.

Giles gently traced her cheek with his thumb. Buffy turned her head into his caress with a sigh. He watched in fascination as she relaxed into a more normal sleep. He waited for a few moments and then cautiously retreated to his chair.

He tried to continue his research but his gaze and his thoughts wandered back to Buffy no matter how sternly he pulled them back to the task at hand. He flipped through the book but found nothing to help. It would be dawn soon, he thought pensively as he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He closed his eyes for just a moment, but ended up falling asleep, the memory of Buffy's concern coloring his dreams.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

He woke with the sun shining on his face through the sheer draperies at the window. He checked on Buffy and was relieved to see her still resting relatively comfortably. He felt stiff and sore from sitting up all night after fighting vampires. A hot shower beckoned while it was still quiet.

Giles stood facing the showerhead with his hands braced against the wall on either side, his head bowed to let the water pulse down his neck and back. Eyes closed, he relaxed in the hot water. Time to get back to it, he thought reluctantly. He turned off the shower and shook the water out of his hair.

He toweled off and put on a clean pair of old jeans and pulled a lightweight v-neck sweater over his head. It was soft and casual and the color of jade.

Giles padded down the stairs and halted when the living room came into view. Xander was asleep fully clothed, stretched out on the couch. He was wedged against the back of the couch, his head on a couple of throw pillows. Willow was pressed up against him with her head cradled half on his chest and half on his shoulder just under his chin, her free arm around his waist. Xander's arms were around her holding her close, their legs entwined. Giles smiled at the picture they made, at once heartbreakingly innocent and strangely sensual. One day they were going to have to come to terms with their feelings for each other. As much as he liked and admired Oz and didn't wish to see him hurt, he had a feeling that Xander and Willow together might be an inevitability.

He quietly made his way into the small kitchen. He knew they would rather not wake up with him watching them. He started to prepare his tea, not making excessive noise, but not trying to be overly quiet either. He brought out the coffee maker they had bought him when they started meeting regularly in his home. Willow had taught him how to make coffee to their liking and he prepared a pot knowing she and Xander would appreciate it.

"Giles. Smells good," Xander mumbled sleepily as he came into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Xander," Giles said. "Sit down. The coffee's almost ready." Giles put out sugar and a small carton of milk along with spoons.

"Great." Xander yawned as he sat at the bar that separated the kitchen from the living room. He spooned sugar into the mug Giles handed him and took a long pull on the coffee. "Man, I needed that."

"Any luck last night?" Giles asked. He leaned against the counter and drank his tea.

They both looked up when Willow entered the kitchen obviously still half-asleep. She made her way to the coffee maker as if hypnotized. This was a scene that had played out many times over the last several months. Giles had learned to leave a mug next to the coffee so that all she had to do was pour. She sat at the bar, fixed her coffee the way she liked it and downed half the mug in silence.

She looked up to see both men smiling at her. "What?" she asked sleepily.

"Nothing Will," Xander said, "just good morning. Sleep well?"

"Hmm." She took another swallow of coffee and nodded. "'Morning Giles."

"Good morning Willow." He waited for the coffee to wake her further.

"How's Buffy?" Willow asked.

A shadow passed over Giles' face. "The same, I'm afraid. I didn't find anything about the dagger in the books I looked through last night."

"Neither did we," Xander said quietly. He stared down into his coffee moodily before meeting Giles' gaze. "I know you said you don't know what kind of magic is on the dagger. But give it to us straight Giles. What do you think it is?"

They both looked at him expectantly. Giles sighed. "I really don't know Xander. I can only guess."

"I know how you hate that," Xander said, "but could you try?"

"I told you I could feel the magic. There's a specific feel to it that's difficult to describe. The best I can come up with is that it felt 'wrong'. I very much fear that it was meant to kill Buffy. I hope that the scratch she was given wasn't enough to kill. However, I'm afraid if we don't find a remedy quickly that it will still eventually kill her. And it may well become very painful for her in the meantime. As I said, I just don't know."

"Isn't there a generic get-well spell or something that you could do?" Xander asked anxiously.

"Without knowing what we're dealing with I'm afraid any magic we do might only make things worse." Giles shook his head.

Willow looked at him, troubled. "I couldn't find anything resembling the dagger online. Giles, there's something I'd like to do, but I don't want to do it behind your back."

Eyebrow raised, Giles said, "I appreciate that, however unusual an occurrence it may be. What is it?"

Willow swallowed. "I'd like to email a picture of the dagger to Angel."

Giles only reaction was to tighten his grip on his mug imperceptibly. What was it they said, he thought? Oh yes. Get over it. He cleared his throat. "I didn't know that you were in touch with Angel."

Willow looked away uneasily. "Only through email. He sent me a message about a month after he left. He asked me not to tell Buffy. I...I thought it might be a good idea to keep track of him."

Giles noticed a strange expression on Xander's face. "There's more, isn't there?"

Willow sighed. "Yes. I told Xander and Oz about it."

"Thank you very much for the vote of confidence," Giles said dryly.

"Giles--" Xander said, a funny note in his voice.

"What Xander? Did you all think I'd deliberately want to hurt Buffy with the knowledge?" Giles knew he was being unfair, but couldn't seem to help himself.

"No," Xander said quietly, "we didn't think that at all. Willow only told me because of Cordelia. And of course, she couldn't keep it from Oz." Xander gave him an odd half-smile.

"Cordelia? What does Cordelia have to do with this?" Giles was thoroughly confused. Cordelia had left for Los Angeles a few weeks after graduation.

Willow met Giles gaze. "Angel is in LA. He ran into Cordelia one night. She's working for him and some guy named Doyle."

"What!?" That had to be one of the craziest things Giles had ever heard. Cordelia had never been a big admirer of Angel, especially after he'd turned into Angelus. He couldn't fathom how Angel could have convinced her to work for him.

"That was pretty much my reaction," Xander said moodily. "But Willow said Angel saved Cordelia from a vamp attack. Guess they got to talking and this Doyle guy mentioned that he and Angel were going into some kind of business helping people."

Willow added, "Cordelia decided she'd be better off working with them than waiting around for another attack. It was her idea, actually." She smiled. "You know Cordy. She'll never admit that she was doing something important while she was a member of the Scooby Gang. I think she misses it."

"Well, be that as it may I don't know that it's wise for her to be around Angel," Giles said.

"You're not the only one," Xander said darkly, "but she's not about to listen to me."

"Anyway, Angel's got some contacts in LA. Maybe he could find out something about the dagger for us." Willow looked at Giles hopefully.

Giles turned away and poured more tea in order to give himself time to think. He hated the idea of further contact with Angel. He had tried as hard as he could to separate thoughts of Angel from thoughts of Angelus, and for awhile he'd thought he'd succeeded. He had felt Buffy's heartache when Angel left her and it had distressed him to watch her suffer. But there was a part of him that had rejoiced. He was not about to let that pain back into her life again. He turned back to the two of them.

"Send it to Angel," he said harshly, "but don't tell him what's happened or why we need the information. Just tell him we know it's an enchanted blade and we need to know what it does and how to counter it. Let him know it's urgent, but don't tell him Buffy is in danger. I don't want him coming back here."

Willow let out a slow breath. "All right. I can do that. He'll probably assume it's about Buffy, but he won't ask. He's been very careful not to mention her and I don't bring her up." The phone rang, cutting off the rest of what she was about to say.

"Hello?" Giles said. "Oh, yes, she's right here." He handed the phone to Willow. At Xander's questioning look he said, "Oz."

"Hi sweetie," Willow said as she took the phone into the other room. Giles studied Xander's face as he moodily looked out the window. He was about to speak when Willow bounced back into the kitchen.

"I'll send that email to Angel now. Oz'll be here in 15 minutes. He'll take us home so we can get cleaned up and get some stuff for Buffy. I should check on her mom's house, too. She's out of town for the next two weeks, but I've got a key. Giles, we'll be back in a couple of hours. Maybe Angel will have found something by then."

"OK. No more coffee for Willow." Xander gave her a small smile.

"Yes. All right." Giles put his mug in the sink and turned back to them. "What about Buffy's father? Wasn't she supposed to leave this morning to visit him during spring break?"

"Oh my god, her father! I forgot all about that." Willow exchanged anxious glances with Xander.

"You know where her mom keeps her phone book, right Will?" Xander asked. "How about we find her dad's number and bring it back for Giles to call?"

"Oh, thank you so much," Giles said dryly. "But I suppose that's for the best. Bring me his number and I'll give him a ring."


	2. Chapter 2

Giles dipped the washcloth into the bowl of tepid water. He twisted it to squeeze the excess water out and gently wiped it across Buffy's forehead, over her cheek and down her throat. She moved restlessly against the coolness on her hot skin. He sighed. Buffy's condition was worsening, her temperature rising. Their only hope was that Angel would find something they could use.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I'm failing you again. I know it." He gazed down at her restless form in frustration.

"Giles!"

He walked to the door of his bedroom and called down the stairs, "I'm up here."

"Is she any better?" Oz asked from the doorway.

"Come in Oz. No. As a matter of fact I think she's getting worse. Her temperature has gone up three more degrees. Are those her things?" Giles held out his hands.

"Yeah. Here. Willow asked me to bring them over."

"Thank you. I'm sure Buffy will appreciate having them." He stared blankly down at the small stack of folded clothes in his hands.

"No problem." Oz fished in his pocket and handed Giles a scrap of paper. "Willow sent this, too. It's Mr. Summers' phone number. Look, I told Willow I'd go back and wait for her, but if there's something you need?"

"What? Oh. No, no, that's quite all right. I should be fine until you return." He looked at the slight young man hovering in the doorway. "Tell Willow not to worry, but please hurry back."

"Right. Later then." Oz nodded once and trotted down the stairs and out the door, leaving Giles alone again with Buffy.

Giles smiled slightly. Oz was a man of succinct words. He glanced down at the telephone number in his hand and sighed. How was he supposed to explain to Buffy's father why a stranger was ringing to tell him his daughter wasn't going to make their trip? Best get it over with, he thought, and turned to trudge down the stairs as if on his way to his own execution.

He returned to the bedroom a few minutes later, a thoughtful expression on his face. A low moan from Buffy snapped him out of his reverie. She muttered incoherently and pushed at the covers, trying to throw them off. He leaned over and put the thermometer in her ear for a quick reading. Her temperature had risen to 108 degrees while he'd been downstairs on the phone with her father's answering machine. He had to bring it down quickly, he thought desperately. But how? The small bowl of water wasn't going to be enough. He glanced at the tub through the bathroom door and turned and ran downstairs to the kitchen.

He emptied all of the ice from his icemaker into the biggest bucket he could find and raced back upstairs to dump it into the tub. He cranked the temperature on the faucet all the way to cold and opened the tap. Buffy was still moving restlessly on the bed. He carried her overheated form into the bathroom, stripped off her outer garments, and unceremoniously plunged her underwear clad body into the water. When the tub was half full of the icy water he turned off the tap.

He held her head out of the water and watched. At her first shiver he used the thermometer. 105 degrees. It seemed to be working, but how long should he risk keeping her in the cold, he wondered? Soon her body was shivering in earnest. This time the thermometer read 102. That was low enough. He pulled her out of the tub and wrapped her in a bath sheet. She shivered violently against him while he rubbed her as dry as he could. He let the wet towel drop to the floor and carried her back to the bed.

"I'm sorry Buffy, but I've got to get these wet things off you." His apology fell on deaf ears but he felt better for saying it. The pile of clothes Willow had sent contained a plain white cotton nightgown for which he silently blessed her. Quickly he bunched the nightgown up and placed it over Buffy's head. He unfastened the damp bra and removed it along with the panties, pulled the gown down to cover her and maneuvered her arms through the sleeves. Holding her to him with one arm, he yanked the bedclothes down and placed her shivering form on the sheet. He pulled the covers up to her chin and added a second lightweight quilt.

Her shivering gradually subsided. He took another reading with the thermometer and was pleased to see that it read 100 degrees. Giles wearily sat on the bed and held her hand, content to wait now that the immediate danger was over.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

"Giles!" A hand grasped his shoulder and gently shook it. "Hey Giles, wake up."

"hmph." He raised his head and blearily looked up at the person standing over him. "Xander."

"That's my name. Don't wear it out. Guess you must've fallen asleep on the floor here, huh?"

"What time is it?"

"About one. Look, why don't you go on down and see if Dead Boy's done the email thing. I'll stay up here with Buffy." The younger man smiled down at him.

Giles looked over at Buffy and was reassured that she was still resting relatively comfortably. He'd fallen asleep and slid down to the floor to land in his current position propped against the bed. Even in his sleep he'd kept hold of her hand. He pushed himself up and nodded at Xander.

"Thank you. Here." He handed Xander the thermometer. "You do know how to use this, yes? Good. If her temperature appears to be rising, use it. If it goes above 104, call me."

"Sure thing." Xander put his hands on Giles' shoulders and turned him around. He gave him a gentle push toward the door. "Go talk to Willow. We'll be fine up here."

Willow and Oz were seated at the dining table with her laptop open in front of them. They looked up when Giles entered the room and their expressions told him that there was no news.

"Nothing?"

"No. I'm sorry. Angel hasn't even replied to the first email to let me know he got it. If he doesn't reply soon I'll send him another. In case the first one got lost." Willow looked anxious.

"Xander is sitting with Buffy. He'll call if there's any change." Giles sat down across from them and raked a hand through his hair causing it to stick up in spikes. "Her temperature rose while you were gone. I had to resort to an ice bath to bring it down. I don't know what else to expect."

Willow appeared to be debating something with herself and seemed to come to a decision. "Giles? What if we did a kind of 'reveal danger' spell? You know, find a spell to reveal the magic on the dagger? Wouldn't that work?"

Sometimes he wondered if she were too clever for him. "It might at that. I'd like to save that option as a last resort, though. There's still no telling what may happen if we try magic on it. Let's wait and see what Angel can tell us, if anything. If we don't get the information we need soon, we'll try your idea. See what you can find that we might use?"

"Sure. I've seen some spells that might work. Or that you might be able to adapt for us. I just have to find the right books." Willow brightened perceptibly at his approval.

"Willow," said Oz, "looks like you've got mail."

"It's from Angel." Willow looked excited "He says he just got my email or he would have replied earlier. He's seen the dagger somewhere, but he can't remember where exactly. He's checking with his contacts and should have something for us soon. Oh..." She swallowed and looked down, as if unwilling to look at Giles while she relayed the rest. "He's heard rumors of another prophecy and he wonders if the dagger may be part of it. He's gonna have Doyle and Cordelia help him research and he'll let me know what they find."

"Bloody hell." Giles realized he'd said it out loud when Willow and Oz stared at him. He groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "I'm not sure I can deal with yet another prophecy right now. I'd better drag out the Codex and make sure I haven't overlooked something. That would be all we need. A prophecy that can't be avoided and that's guaranteed to come true." He pushed himself up from the table and left the kitchen to find the Codex.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

"Oz? What if it is part of a prophecy?" Willow looked at her boyfriend in concern.

"We'll deal. Don't we always?"

"I guess. But did you see Giles' face?" She kept her voice low and looked toward the living room, worry evident on her face. "And he sounded so tired. I think he's really worried about Buffy. Even more than he's telling us."

"To be expected. Not only is his Slayer laid low by something he can't fix, but you also hit him with the ability to contact Angel. Gotta be difficult for him."

"What do you mean? I mean, I know we thought it was a good idea to keep our contact with Angel to ourselves, but now that he knows and we might get some information out of it, that's a good thing, right?" Willow looked at him anxiously.

Oz smiled his little sphinx smile at her and reached out to caress her hair. "Think a minute. This is Angel we're talking about. The one who killed Ms. Calendar and tortured Giles. I know that was Angelus, but it is kind of hard to keep that distinction. And remember that he fed off Buffy to save himself. Giles isn't likely to forget that anytime soon."

"But Buffy forced Angel to do that. He wouldn't have done it if she hadn't made him." Willow sounded uncertain, even to herself.

"Maybe." Oz shook his head. "I'm sure Buffy did what she felt she had to do and I don't think Giles could ever blame her for it. He blames Angel, though. After all, Angel's the one who's over 200 years old. Don't get me wrong. I like Angel. At least when he's Angel and not Angelus. Just don't expect a lot of forgiveness from Giles this time around."

Willow shook her head in amazement. "Where have I been? I'm a sensitive person. How come I couldn't see this?"

Oz smiled at her. "You're too close."

Willow shook her head. "You amaze me. Every time I think I know you, you show me something new. I guess I can see what you're talking about. Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I sound pretty sure, don't I?"

"Yeah."

"Then I must be sure." They smiled, remembering graduation.

"Giles!" Xander's voice called down the stairs.

Giles took the stairs two at a time in his haste to return to the bedroom. Willow and Oz were right behind him and nearly collided with his back when he stopped short in the bedroom doorway. Willow craned her neck to try to see around him. She saw the smile on Xander's face and felt relief build.

"Xander, what is it?" Giles' voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Buffy's awake." Xander's smile widened even further. "She's asking for you."


	3. Chapter 3

"Buffy!"

Buffy tried to smile. Everything was fuzzy around the edges and it was hard to concentrate. She blinked when Giles moved too fast for her eyes to track and sat down on the bed by her side.

"Hey Giles. When did you learn to do that Cyber-Matrix-motion-thingy? What are you, the One?" she teased, her voice weak.

"The one what?" he asked in confusion. Giles felt her forehead and then looked back curiously at Willow, Oz, and Xander. "Can any of you translate that?"

Xander cleared his throat. "I dragged her to see the Matrix with me. She's talking about the special effect in the movie where the characters move so fast that they kind of blur out and you can't follow them with your eyes. I think she's saying that you moved so fast that she couldn't keep up with you."

"Oh."

"Giles. What's happened? Why am I so weak? And why is everything all fuzzy?" She tried to shift herself on the bed, but couldn't manage to do more than pull her arm out from under the covers. She sighed and gazed at her Watcher's concerned face. "The truth. Please."

"Do you remember the fight in the cemetery? The vampire with the dagger?"

Buffy frowned. Fight in the cemetery? That narrows it down, she thought. Aren't most of my fights in cemeteries? But a dagger sounded familiar. Suddenly the memory popped into her mind and she could see a vampire rushing at her with a dagger in his hand. And then the dagger grazing her arm.

"Yeah. Sort of. But it was just a scratch." She was confused. "What? Did it get infected or something?"

Willow moved to stand by the bed next to Giles. "Or something. There was magic on the dagger."

"Magic." She closed her eyes. "Sure. Couldn't have just been some vamp's pocketknife. So you guys are going to do a spell to get rid of it, right?"

Buffy opened her eyes to see Giles bending close. She felt her throat constrict at the concern in his face. He reached out and gently touched her cheek. She wanted to look away, to not see the fear that lurked in his eyes, but she'd asked for the truth and she wasn't going to flinch from it now.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice heavy. "We haven't been able to identify the dagger yet. Until we do and know how to counteract it, we can't risk performing any magic on you. We might only make matters worse."

"Don't worry, Buff," Xander said from where he stood at the foot of the bed. "You know we'll find the answer."

"I know. Just hurry, OK? I don't like feeling so helpless."

"Can you describe how you feel?" Giles asked. "It might help us identify the magic."

"Tired. Weak. Like I had to fight to wake up. Like something's trying to suck me under." She shook her head slightly. "And numbness, too. I...I'm having trouble feeling my arm." She tried to pull her other arm out from the covers and failed until Giles helped her.

"Giles!" Willow's shocked voice cut through the silent room.

"I see it," he said grimly.

"What?" Buffy tried to focus on her arm, but the room started swimming. She gasped and closed her eyes against the sudden nausea. She swallowed and said shakily, "I think I better keep my eyes closed. But tell me, please?"

"Can you feel this?"

"Sort of. I felt a kind of pulling?"

"I just removed your bandage. The wound is healed, but there's something spreading from it."

"Like an infection?"

"Yes." His voice was hesitant.

"Giles..." her voice trailed off weakly.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

"She's out again." Giles glanced at the others and then turned back to his examination of her arm.

"What is that?" Xander asked.

Buffy's arm was a glowing, pulsating green. The color radiated out from the healed wound on her forearm and stopped just short of her elbow and just above her wrist. Tendrils of the color pulsed and moved closer to her elbow as they watched in horror. Whatever it was, it was spreading.

"I'd say it's the magic from the dagger. Buffy's analogy is as good as any for now. Think of it as an infection of evil." Giles gently laid her arm back on the bed and stood up. "We must find the answer soon."

Willow placed a hand on his arm and looked up at him with resolve. "We will. I know we will."

Giles nodded. He took a deep breath and said, "Xander, will you stay with Buffy?"

Xander looked down at his friend, his face troubled. "Of course."

"Thank you. Then let's see what we can find, shall we?" He ushered Willow and Oz out the door ahead of him, pausing once to look back at Buffy's still form before following them down the stairs.

Giles stood in the living room and silently surveyed his books. There was something about the infection that seemed familiar, as if he'd read about it or heard about it. He couldn't put his finger on where he'd seen the information. He'd just have to slog through the most likely sources and pray that he got lucky. First, though, he'd better finish checking the _Codex_. He reached for the book and sat down on the couch to start reading.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

"Oz, look, another email from Angel." Willow pulled up the email and quickly scanned it. She turned to ask him to get Giles, but he was already gone.

"Willow? What is it? What does Angel say?" Giles asked her urgently.

She looked up at the Watcher's anxious face. "He says he's identified it as something called the _Dagger of the Trismegistus_. Its magic isn't just a spell that's been cast on it. It was forged into the dagger when it was created and even a scratch from it can be fatal." She looked at Giles' pale face and faltered.

"The Dagger of the Thrice Greatest? That's impossible!" Giles looked shocked. "What else does he say?"

She read further. "He definitely thinks it's part of a prophecy, but not from the _Codex_. The reference he has is for something called the _Annales Cambriae_. He's going through his copy now." She looked at Giles curiously. "What does that mean? Do you know it?"

"The _Annales Cambriae_? That's the _Annals of Wales_." Giles frowned. "It's a collection of historical records dating from the year 970. The unexpurgated collection is in the possession of the Council as it was deemed too dangerous for people to know the truth. However, I've never heard of it being touted as a prophetic work. Unless Angel has a different version."

She said excitedly, "Oh! There are two spells that may be used to cure a wound from the dagger. He says you'd know them, but suggests avoiding being wounded by it to begin with."

"Too late," Oz said.

"Um, he says the first is something called the Purification."

Giles stood as if rooted to the floor, the blood drained from his face. Willow watched him in fear as he started to sway. Oz was standing beside him and made him sit down before he passed out.

"Giles?" Willow asked fearfully. "What is it? What's wrong?" She shivered when Giles eyes focused on her. He looked so frightened.

"The Purification? You're sure?" His voice was hoarse.

She scanned the email again and nodded. "Yeah. That's what he says. What is it? Giles, you're scaring me."

"Now that she mentions it," added Oz, "you're scaring me, too."

"The Purification may cure her of the wound, but it would most likely kill her or us. It's hideously difficult to cast. It's theoretically useful, but as far as I know it's never been used successfully. Oh, it's never failed to purify the subject, but no one's ever managed to live through the casting." His gaze pleaded with Willow to give him something more. "You said that was the first?"

She nodded. "The second is the Spell of Completion.

Giles briefly closed his eyes and said wearily, "The Spell of Completion. Of course. Couldn't be something simple. Well, at least it's not as dangerous as the Purification." He looked away evasively.

"You recognized the name of the dagger." Oz cocked his head at Giles. "Why did you say it was impossible?"

Giles looked at them gravely. "The Dagger of the Thrice Greatest was supposed to have been destroyed over a thousand years ago. If this is that same dagger then I fear there's great trouble coming that we'll have to deal with. But we must save Buffy first."

"What does the dagger do?" Oz asked.

Giles sighed. "The dagger is also known by the name 'Soul Eater'. A fatal wound was said to destroy the soul immediately. If the wound wasn't fatal then the magic of the dagger would infect the person and gradually spread until it consumed the soul. It's unclear if the body would die at that point or if the unfortunate person would become some kind of soulless zombie."

"Oh god! That's what we saw on Buffy's arm, isn't it?" Willow asked fearfully.

Giles nodded. "I'm afraid so."

Willow looked at him in determination. "We don't have much choice, do we?"

"No. But of the two I'd say the safest would be the Spell of Completion. Not that it will be safe by any stretch of the imagination." He put his hands to his face and groaned. "I really need a full night's sleep before we do this, but I'm afraid we don't have time." He looked at them significantly. "I'll need your help with the spell. I don't have everything we'll need. I'll make a list and you can go to the magic shop. Take Xander with you and try to get some rest as well. We'll meet back here at eleven thirty tonight and cast the spell."


	4. Chapter 4

Soft moonlight streamed through the small window, washing the room with its silver light. Giles stood in the bedroom and glanced uncertainly between the bed and the overstuffed chair in the corner. He had sent the others home several hours ago and now he wished he'd asked at least one of them to stay. There were still a few hours before they would return and he needed sleep. He wasn't going to get it in that chair. He debated going downstairs and sleeping on the couch, but worried that Buffy might need him.

Always Mr. Propriety, he thought wryly. Wouldn't Ethan just laugh himself to death if he could see him now? One could only bloody hope. Giles sighed. He sat on the far side of the bed, removed his shoes and lay down carefully so as not to disturb Buffy. He turned his head on the pillow to watch her sleep, but soon his eyes closed and he drifted off.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

The mist was wispy and gray, swirling around him in curling tendrils as if alive. The entire world seemed gray. He looked around but couldn't make out the landscape. The curling mist hid even the features of the ground below him.

"Giles?"

He whirled at the sound of her voice. "Buffy?"

She stood in front of him, confusion on her face. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure that we _are_ anywhere," he said hesitantly.

"We must be somewhere," she said. "The last thing I remember I was standing in the cemetery talking to you. How did we get here? I know gray is in this season, but this is ridiculous."

"Buffy," he began. How did he tell her? And what, exactly, was happening?

"Buffy what?" she teased. She looked at his face closely and frowned. "Something's wrong. I mean, I know this isn't normal, but there's something seriously wrong, isn't there?"

"Hmm." Articulate, he thought. Where are all the words when you need them? "You don't remember waking up and talking to me?"

"Um, no. Waking up from what?" She frowned. "Giles, please. What are you talking about?"

"Buffy, you were wounded by an enchanted dagger. I'm not sure where we are right now, but I need to tell you--"

"What? What is it?" She put her hand on his arm. "Giles, am I dead? Is that what this is about?"

"No!" He took her hand in his and said gently, "No, you're not dead. But if we don't reverse the spell you will die. I won't let that happen Buffy. I promise you. I won't let you die. We've found the spell we need."

"There's more, isn't there?" she asked quietly, her eyes never leaving his face. "Giles, look at me. What aren't you telling me?"

"The spell is called the Spell of Completion. Willow, Xander, and Oz will help me cast it, but I'll be the focus." He sighed.

"It's dangerous, isn't it?"

"It can be. But I assure you that you will be all right. You do trust me, don't you?" He squeezed her hand gently, but avoided her gaze.

"Of course I trust you," she said impatiently. "I know you Giles. You're still not telling me everything. What exactly does this spell do?"

He met her gaze. "The spell requires one to freely give of one's soul to the person being helped. I will give up part of my soul to you. That _completes_ you and, um, negates the death spell."

She held her breath a moment and then said, "But what about you? What happens when you give up part of your soul?"

Giles said uncomfortably, "Normally the spell requires an exchange of souls. But don't worry, you cannot be forced to give up part of your soul."

The mist began swirling around them faster as if there was a strong wind, but there was no motion of air on his face. They were suddenly pulled apart, though he had no sense of having moved. Giles watched sadly as Buffy began to fade from his sight. He started when he heard her call out.

"Giles! You didn't answer me. What happens to you?" her voice sounded desperate.

Before he could answer the grayness became all encompassing. And then there was nothing.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Giles opened his eyes, relieved to find himself in his own bedroom. Still time for more sleep before he had to get up. He closed his eyes. He was comfortable and relaxed anyway, nice and warm. His eyes flew open again. He was lying on his side with Buffy pulled close, her back pressing against his chest. His arm was around her waist and she had gripped it with both her hands. His cheek was pressed against the top of her head. Her body was warm, warmer than it should be, but not warm enough to be worrisome.

He tried to extricate his arm from her grasp and pull away from her. She muttered something unintelligible and gripped him tighter. He took a deep breath. It was perfectly innocent, and it seemed to be giving her some comfort. If he was truthful with himself, he thought, it comforted him, too. Giles closed his eyes again. He pulled her close, settled himself against her and kissed the top of her head. He sighed and fell back to sleep.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Giles sipped his tea as he leaned against the kitchen counter. He was calm; positive he was prepared for what was to come. The others would be there soon. He knew they wouldn't be able to sleep much longer than he had. A soft knocking came from the front door. He opened the door and smiled to himself. He'd won the silent debate he'd had over who would be the first to arrive.

"Xander," he said as he opened the door wider. "Do come in."

"Thanks."

He followed Xander back to the kitchen.

"So, how is she? Any change?"

"The infection has spread to her shoulder, but she seems to be resting comfortably. She hasn't regained consciousness. Why don't you go up and check on her for me?" He smiled as the younger man nodded and practically ran from the room.

A few minutes later Xander was back in the kitchen pouring himself a mug of coffee. Giles was surprised at how quickly he had returned. He'd expected Xander to remain by Buffy's side until the others showed up.

"Everything all right?" he asked.

"Yeah. I mean, she's still out like you said." Xander looked a bit uncomfortable. "Giles, I gotta ask you. What's the deal with this spell? There's something you're not telling us isn't there?"

Giles hid his surprise. He'd expected this question from Willow, but it hadn't occurred to him that Xander would be aware that there was something he was trying to hide. "I told you it's dangerous. It's quite powerful. Any time you work such a powerful spell you run the risk of things going badly."

Xander stared at him. "It's more than that. You and Will, hell, all of us, have been involved with powerful spells before. We know they're dangerous. But you're hiding something. I can feel it. What is it?" Xander crossed his arms and refused to look away.

Giles opened his mouth to say something, he wasn't sure what, but was saved by another knock at the front door. He turned away in exasperation and thought that it would be Willow. He opened the door and was surprised by a lone Oz.

"Giles." Oz smiled when Giles peered around him to see if Willow was there.

"Oz." Belatedly Giles realized that he hadn't opened the door wide enough for Oz to enter. "Come in." He stepped aside.

"Thanks. Hey Xander." Oz stopped in the living room.

"Hey. Where's Willow?" Xander asked curiously.

"I didn't pick her up. Do me a favor?" Oz cocked his head at Xander.

"Sure, I guess." Xander sounded confused.

"Take my van and go get her. She needs to go out to get the rest of the supplies for the spell. Didn't manage to get everything earlier."

Xander looked surprised. "Um, yeah, sure. I can do that."

Oz tossed Xander his keys and walked him to the door. Giles returned to his spot at the counter and picked up his tea, relieved that he would have a reprieve from the questioning. He was surprised that Oz would come over without Willow and he couldn't help but wonder why he would send Xander out to run errands with her as well. Oz was often an enigma to him. He looked up as the younger man returned.

Oz fixed himself some coffee and sat at the table. "So, Giles."

Giles smiled to himself. "Buffy's the same, Oz, no worse."

Oz nodded. "Good. That's not why I'm here."

Giles grimaced. Not him too. "Why are you here? Without Willow, that is. You know you're always welcome, but I have the feeling you planned this."

"Yeah." Oz nodded. "About that spell. You left something out when you told us about it, didn't you?"

Giles sighed. "You, too?"

"Me too what?"

"Xander wanted to know the same thing."

Oz smiled. "Doesn't surprise me. He sees more than he lets on."

Giles sipped his tea, effectively hiding behind the mug to give himself more time. These young men had managed to take him by surprise and that shouldn't have happened. He should have remembered how perceptive they all were.

"So. You going to tell me what it is?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really. I thought you might like a chance to try your story out on me before you have to face Willow."

Giles put his hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. Oz was right. Willow would persist until she had the truth out of him. Perhaps Oz would understand and have a suggestion. Not that he wanted to lie to Willow, but it would be better if she didn't know. He opened his eyes to find himself under scrutiny.

"Very well. Yes, I did leave something out. The spell requires a focus. The focus is where the danger lies. I will be the focus." There. That should satisfy him.

"That's not all, is it?" Oz gave him an enigmatic look. "What exactly does the focus do?"

Giles pursed his lips. "The focus gives up part of his soul. It must be done freely and without reservation. I'll give Buffy part of my soul. It will make her _complete_, which will remove the dagger's magic from her and reverse the effects of its consumption of her soul."

Oz regarded him unblinkingly for several moments. That should be enough information to satisfy him, Giles thought. Maybe this wouldn't be so difficult after all.

"And what happens to you after you've given up part of your soul?" Oz asked quietly. "Making Buffy 'complete' sort of hints that you'll be _incomplete_."

Giles sighed. Bloody hell, he thought. I should have known. "Oz. There's nothing to worry about. I can't be forced to give up my soul. I'll do it gladly."

"That's not the question, though, is it?" Oz frowned at him. "What happens?"

Giles looked away. "I die." He waited for the protest that never came.

"Is there any way to prevent that?" Oz asked quietly.

Giles looked back at him in surprise. "Well..."

"There is. So what is it?"

Giles said reluctantly, "Buffy has to give me part of her soul. It's a reciprocating spell. But as I said, you can't be forced to give up your soul. It has to be done freely."

"And you don't think Buffy would give her soul freely to you?" Oz sounded merely curious. After a few moments of silence he said, "You aren't going to ask her, are you?"

"I was rather planning on leaving that part out of the spell." Giles looked down at his tea.

"Giles, you're a fool."

The gentleness in Oz's voice caused Giles to jerk his head up and look at him.

"You've already said the spell is dangerous. Isn't it more dangerous to leave something out?"

Giles was surprised. "Actually I hadn't thought of that."

"No. You were so concerned about sparing a hard decision from Buffy that you didn't see what you were doing." Oz cocked his head. "And why're you so sure that Buffy wouldn't give you part of her soul? Don't you have faith in her?"

Giles was stunned by the other man's questions. Was he so afraid of the answer? Is that why he was planning on taking the decision out of her hands? "I, but, that is..."

"Articulate. That's why we love you." The corners of Oz's mouth quirked up briefly. "Giles. I have every faith that Buffy'd do whatever she could for any of us. That includes giving up a part of her soul. I don't think she'd hesitate. Don't take that choice away from her."

It was almost a speech coming from Oz. Giles nodded slowly. "That's why you're here alone, isn't it?"

Oz shrugged. "I thought something was up. Had a feeling it might be you trying to be noble."

"Hmm." Giles held out his hand to the younger man. "Thank you, Oz."

"Welcome." Oz smiled. "Now, what do we do?"

"You can help me clear the living room. We'll need as much space as we can get to set up the spell."


	5. Chapter 5

Willow, Oz, Xander, and Giles stood in the living room and surveyed the preparations. The furniture was removed and the carpet rolled up to reveal the wood floor. In the center of the room were three large concentric rings. Three smaller circles, at the points of an invisible equilateral triangle on the outside of the largest ring, were ready for the participants. Candles stood at strategic points outside of the concentric rings.

Willow looked apprehensively at Giles. He'd finally explained the entire workings of the spell. She'd tried to argue with him about being the focus, but Oz had gently persuaded her to stop. She still felt she should be the one to do it. She was younger. It wasn't that she thought something would go wrong, but if it did, she was more expendable. What would they do if they lost Giles? Where would they all be? Willow shivered.

Oz had been firm. She wondered at that. She also wondered that he'd sent Xander to her. He'd obviously wanted to talk to Giles alone. She worried at her bottom lip with her teeth. What had they talked about? She shook her head and pulled her thoughts back to the present.

"Do you all know your lines?" Giles asked for the fourth time.

"Yes. We all know our lines," Xander said, frustrated. "And even if we didn't, Will has graciously written them out in phonetics so those of us illiterate types can read them if we forget."

"Good. Good." Giles sounded distracted. "I guess we're ready. I'll get Buffy."

The three waited in silence until Giles returned carrying their unconscious friend. He placed Buffy in the innermost concentric circle, careful not to disturb any of the markings. The pulsing green infection had spread across her shoulder to her neck and was starting to work its way down her chest.

Giles gently brushed the hair out of her face and stepped out of the circle. "I'll perform the warding now."

"Oh. Can I help?" Willow asked. Warding was always fun.

"No. I'll take care of it myself. Warding takes a little something out of you. I need you to be at full strength during the spell." Giles smiled and turned away. He walked to each corner of the room, muttering and making small gestures with his hands. At the fourth corner he turned and brought his hands together in a sharp clap as if closing something. "Nothing of a magical nature will be able to disturb us while we cast."

Giles stepped into the circle and lay down next to Buffy. He gently took her hand in his and shifted his weight, trying to get comfortable on the hard floor. He looked over at Willow and nodded.

Willow placed Oz in one of the smaller circles of the triangle and Xander in another. She walked around the room lighting all the candles, and then turned off the electric lights. She stepped into the final small circle and began to chant. "Hear us Hecate, goddess. Complete the two within the circle. What they freely give, make them whole." At her final word all of the candles flared up briefly. She nodded, satisfied.

"It begins." She held her hands out, palms up, one towards Oz and one towards Xander. That was their cue to start chanting the spell with her.

"_Vitae et mortis arbiter. Nostrarum animarum custos. Emitte spiritum tuum. Salva nos!_"*

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Buffy opened her eyes and found herself in a swirling gray mist that seemed somehow familiar. The sound of chanting came faintly from everywhere and nowhere. What was going on? She looked around her and saw a tall figure partially obscured by the mist. Giles. She ran towards him in relief.

"Giles!" Whoa, not too scared are you, she thought? She took a deep breath and spoke calmly. "Giles. Over here."

"Thank God!" He sounded as relieved to see her, as she was to see him. "We don't have much time. The spell is almost to the exchange ritual. We need to be together for this to work."

"What're you talking about?" He seemed to think she should understand what was happening. Something nibbled at the back of her mind. A stray thought that nagged at her but wouldn't come into view. There was something she should remember. She shook her head to try to force the thought into the open and was frustrated when it refused to come out and play.

Giles looked at her with a sad smile on his face. "Everything will be all right soon now, Buffy. I promise."

"Giles, stop being cryptic-guy and tell me what's going on." The look on his face frightened her more than facing any vampire. It screamed at her that she should know what this was. Why couldn't she remember?

"It's all right, Buffy. Just a little spell to counteract the magic on the dagger that that vampire cut you with. Nothing to worry about."

"Then why don't I believe you?" She planted her fists on her hips and tilted her head as she looked up at him challengingly. "I get the feeling that I should know what's going on, but I can't think. Everything's fuzzy."

"Understandable." Giles looked uncomfortable. "It's really not important for you to remember. It'll all be over soon." He looked up as the chanting around them grew louder.

Buffy could almost make out the words now. They tugged at her, but she didn't understand what they were saying. She looked back at Giles, surprised to see him watching her intently. And then he moved.

Giles held his hands out in front of him, palms up, as if offering her something. He began to chant. "I give my soul freely. It is my gift to you against the Dark. May it sustain and complete you. Two souls. One heart."

A glowing ball of white light appeared in the air above his palms. Buffy stared at it in fascination. There was no heat, just the light. Was that his soul? Dazedly she thought that if someone had asked her what Giles' soul looked like this would be how she would describe it. This didn't make any sense. Why was he offering her his soul? Memories suddenly flashed through her mind and with them the knowledge of what she must do. Again she felt the pull of the spell and this time allowed herself to be drawn in.

She mimicked his motion and held out her hands palm up. She chanted in a clear voice. "I give my soul freely. It is my gift to you against the Dark. May it sustain and complete you. Two souls. One heart."

In awe she saw the glowing white ball materialize above her palms. She looked at Giles and felt a certain amount of satisfaction at the look of shock that crossed his face. Her last thought before the spell took control again was a smug _serves you right for doubting me._

The spell continued to guide them through the last part of the ritual. Buffy lay the back of her hands on his palms. The two balls of light merged to become a single mass that shown fiercely. Giles chanted and Buffy repeated after him.

"_Ex totis veribus meis. Ex toto corde meo. Ex tota anima mea. In hac caritate vivere et mori statuo. Lumen de lumine. Ex tempore. Libera nos!_"**

Giles pulled her close and held her. She lay her cheek against his chest and circled his waist with her arms. The chanting voices rose as if in celebration and ended with a final commanding word. The glowing light surrounded and then seemed to shrink in on them until it was gone.

Buffy gasped and sat up blinking. She was in the middle of the floor surrounded by candles and arcane drawings. She realized that her hand was clasped tightly and looked down at Giles lying next to her, holding her hand.

"Buffy!" Willow's voice was excited. "It worked. The green stuff is gone! You're OK."

"What worked?" Buffy was more than a little confused about everything that had just happened. "What green stuff?"

"The spell. It worked." Willow was flushed with her success and smiling radiantly.

"What about Giles?" Oz asked quietly.

"Giles!" Willow looked at the Watcher, the smile fading from her lips.

Buffy glanced down at him fearfully. She reached over and took his pulse and breathed a sigh of relief to find it strong. "Giles, wake up. Come on, I know you're in there."

"What?" Giles sat up suddenly and looked around him wildly. "Buffy." He took a deep breath and smiled at her.

"Hey Watcher-guy," she said gently. "Nice of you to join us."

Giles pushed himself to his feet and held his hand out to help her up. They stood for a moment still holding hands and regarded each other. Buffy smiled slightly before she dropped his hand and turned to the others.

"So, what'd I miss?" she asked as lightly as she could manage.

"Near death, new prophecy. Same old, same old." Xander waggled his hand at her and grinned. "Good to have you back, Buff."

"Good to be back," she said. "Really, though, what's been going on? The last thing I remember clearly is patrolling in the cemetery. Somebody want to tell me how I ended up in my nightgown on Giles' floor?" She raised an eyebrow at them.

Willow and Xander both started talking excitedly about magic daggers that could eat one's soul. Buffy held up her hand. "Whoa! I can see this is gonna require caffeine. Let's go into the kitchen so I can make some coffee." They walked into the kitchen, Willow and Xander still talking excitedly, finishing each other's sentences as they rushed to tell her what had happened.

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Giles stood in the middle of the circle. He turned as he felt Oz's gaze on him. The younger man was regarding him with a small smile on his face. Oz nodded once and inclined his head towards the kitchen. Giles returned his smile and they turned to join the others.

"We don't know if that's the end of the prophecy. Or what the prophecy is, really." Willow was protesting as Giles and Oz entered. "We haven't actually seen the prophecy yet. One of, um, Giles' contacts is looking for it."

Giles raised his eyebrow at Willow's fabrication. As they talked over the events he found his gaze drawn back to Buffy time and again. It seemed as if every time he looked over at her she was watching him with a warm smile.

Willow turned to Giles. "That spell was intense. At the end there was this glowing light that filled the inner circle. It was so bright we couldn't see you guys."

Buffy frowned slightly. "I remember something about a glowing ball of light, but the details are all hazy."

Giles smiled. "That's to be expected. The mind is resilient, but there is only so much that it will allow one to remember. Especially when it's not necessary. The important thing is that the spell worked and you're all right."

"So, Giles, do we patrol tonight?"

"What? No, I think that we can skip it. I want you to rest. You've been through an ordeal, even if you don't remember much about it. I know that as a slayer you have remarkable recuperative abilities, but I do think we should wait."

Buffy shrugged. "Whatever. So, anyone up for pizza? I'm starving."

"Good idea. I'll call it in. Giles can pay." Xander grinned at Giles' half-hearted glare and picked up the phone.

Giles tried to sound put out. "Yes. All right. We may as well eat."

"Don't sound so excited, Giles." Buffy smiled. "It's good to be together without slayage involved. And we won't mess up your place. Much."

Giles smiled.

"Come on Oz. Let's go move the furniture back into the living room."

Oz nodded. He caressed Willow's hair lightly before he followed Xander.

"I'll go clean up the symbols on the floor and make sure they get everything back in the right place." Willow tucked her chin to her chest and smiled shyly as she left the kitchen to aid the others.

Giles was suddenly unsure of himself with Buffy. He turned to the counter and took refuge in the familiar ritual of making tea. The silence between them stretched, soothing his unease. He had just convinced himself that she wasn't going to say anything when a light touch on his arm caused him to start.

"Jeez, Giles," she said gently, "jumpy much? It's just me." She tugged on his arm until he turned to look down at her.

"Buffy," he began and stopped when she put her fingers on his lips.

"No," she said quietly. "I'm not really sure I'm ready to talk about it yet. I just wanted to say thank you. For everything." She looked down at the floor. "I know that I've been a trial for you at times. And I've never really told you how much I appreciate everything you've done for me."

"It's not necessary."

"I think it is." She smiled up at him wryly. "If Willow and Xander were in here they'd say it was about time. I know you probably know how I feel. But I've never said the words, have I? And isn't it important to say them? You've always been there for me. Even when I wasn't your responsibility any more. Even when I was hurting you. I have to at least say thank you."

He couldn't resist her earnest tone. "You're welcome."

Her brilliant smile rewarded him. After a moment she bit her bottom lip. "Um, Willow mentioned that there was a message from my father," she said hesitantly.

Giles glanced away before he answered. "Well, yes. I tried to call him."

"What did you tell him?" Her voice was deceptively light and curious.

"I didn't reach him, actually. I left a message that you had come down with the flu and weren't feeling up to traveling and asked me to call. And that if you felt better in a few days you'd call him and arrange to meet up with him. I left my number in case he wanted to call back." He still couldn't meet her eyes.

"And he called. What did he say?" She sighed and said, "No, let me guess. He said to tell me not to bother, we'd do it another time."

He looked at her sharply. "I missed his call, but he left the message on the recorder. He was at the airport and said that the resort he was going to was a, um, haven from technology? Something about no phones. I'm sorry, Buffy. How did you know?" His voice was soft with his concern for her.

She looked up at him, eyes bright with unshed tears. "Not hard to figure. I've been expecting him to call for the last two weeks and have an excuse for canceling the trip. It's kind of his habit, you know?" She blinked and turned away.

His eyes narrowed as he wondered how the man could be so callous. He wanted to reach out to her and comfort her, but didn't know if she would resent his effort. "Buffy--"

"Giles. Don't." She held up her hand and shrugged. "It's not a surprise. A surprise would be if I actually saw my father. I've learned to deal."

"You shouldn't have to deal." His voice was rougher than he'd meant it to be.

She smiled and placed a hand on his arm. "Giles. It's all right. Really. I appreciate the concern. But it's not necessary."

He raised an eyebrow and said wryly, "I can't help it."

"That's good to know."

"Is this why you were so insistent on canceling your trip?"

She shook her head. "I wanted to cancel because I really was worried about your safety. Now, can we go join the others?"

He frowned as he looked at her. "Wouldn't you be more comfortable if you changed into other clothes?" Fetching as her nightgown was on her, he was uncomfortable with the idea of her lounging around dressed like that.

"No. This is fine, really." Her mouth quirked in a smile. "By the way, how did I--"

"Willow brought your things over," Giles said quickly. He really didn't want to explain who had dressed her.

"Did she bring a robe?"

"I'm not sure. But if she didn't, there's probably something in my closet that you can use." Giles was relieved that she'd seemed to infer that Willow was the one who had dressed her. "Why don't you go up and find something. I'll see how much damage Xander and Oz have managed to do to the living room."

"All right. I'll be down in a sec. And then you're going to explain what's up with this prophecy. Don't let them eat all the pizza without me." She grinned and left the kitchen.

Giles leaned back against the counter and closed his eyes briefly. Why did being alone with Buffy just now seem different than all the other times? I'm getting too old for this, he thought. He shook his head wearily and made his way to the living room, sure he would have a disaster to avert. He was pleasantly surprised to find the room tidy and completely restored.

 

 

**Translations:**

***** _Arbiter of life and death. Guardian of our souls. Send forth thy spirit. Save us!_

****** _With all my strength. With all my heart. With all my soul. In this love I stand to live and die. Light from light. Out of time. Set us free!_


	6. Chapter 6

Giles was truly relaxed for the first time in what felt like days. He sat in the dark on the overstuffed chair in his bedroom and listened to the sound of Buffy's even breathing as she slept in his bed. Willow, Oz, and Xander were asleep downstairs. Earlier they'd consumed two large pizzas in record time. They'd all been tired from casting the spell that saved Buffy's life and Giles had felt it safer if they stayed the rest of the night.

A smile played across his lips as he thought about the picture that Buffy had made when she'd returned from upstairs, ready for pizza, wearing his blue silk robe. The robe had been a present from someone he couldn't remember and truth be told he'd never worn it. It would have been short on him, but on Buffy it fell well below her knees. She'd wrapped it around her and tied the belt in a knot in an effort to keep it from falling open, and she'd rolled up the sleeves since they would have hung past her fingertips. All in all she'd looked a bit like an expensively dressed urchin. She had curled up on the couch next to him like a cat, her feet tucked under her, and smiled.

Normally Buffy had a healthy appetite for such a tiny woman, but she'd eaten one slice of pizza and then she'd merely picked at the second slice that Giles had forced on her. He'd noted the dark circles under her eyes and the weariness on her face and had called a halt to any further conversation that night. He'd insisted that she get some real sleep, saying that the unconscious state she had experienced as part of the dagger's magic hadn't provided the rest she needed. To his surprise she hadn't argued, but had allowed herself to be led upstairs and put to bed.

The knowledge that she was safe after he'd come so close to losing her allowed Giles to relax even further. Tomorrow would bring more questions and, hopefully, answers about the dagger and the prophecy Angel had found, but at least for tonight he could ignore it all. He closed his eyes and fell asleep smiling.

The sounds of her nightmare woke him sometime later. He turned on the light by the chair and blinked, temporarily disoriented, and then realized that Buffy was moving restlessly and talking in her sleep. He sat on the bed next to her and clasped her shoulders to still her movements.

Her head thrashed on the pillow. When she spoke her voice was low and held a note of venom that sent a shiver down his spine. "If anything happens to him there won't be a hole deep enough for you to hide in."

She was still for so long that Giles thought she'd fallen back to sleep. And then she moved so violently that she nearly flipped him off the bed. When she spoke again her voice was full of pain.

"You bastard! What'd you do? Oh god, no!"

He had to stop this now, he thought. He shook her gently. "Buffy! Wake up! It's just a nightmare. Come on, wake up."

Her eyes flew open and she focused on him. She cried his name in anguish and surprised him by flinging her arms around him. She buried her face in the hollow of his neck and shuddered against him. Giles sighed and held her close, softly stroking her hair in a calming motion. At least there were no tears this time.

When her breathing calmed Giles gently held her away from him. She clutched at his shirt and searched his face, as if reassuring herself that whatever she had experienced had only been a dream. He smiled at her, satisfied when she gave him a tentative smile in return.

"What was it?" he asked softly.

Buffy swallowed convulsively. "I don't know. This was different than the other nightmares."

Giles tilted his head. "Different how?"

She took a deep breath and said, "It's all jumbled up and confusing. I'm not sure I remember it all, but I didn't recognize the demon. And whatever it was, it had you." Her eyes filled with tears that she blinked back furiously. "I'm sorry I can't remember. All I really have is an impression that it needed you for something."

"It's all right Buffy. You're sure this demon was unfamiliar?" He frowned.

"Yeah. Ugly, too."

"Can you describe it?"

She nodded. "Think so. Kind of a pale blue color with dark purple-y blobs all over. Oh, and it had that _Creature from the Black Lagoon_ look." She shook her head in frustration at his frown. "You know, uh, gills. Yeah. It had these things on the sides of its neck that looked sort of like gills, but I don't think they actually were. Gills, that is. No horns or anything, but really long claws. And bad teeth. Nasty." She shivered.

"Bad teeth?"

"Yep. Bad teeth. Like Ferengi or, you know, Klingon teeth." She smiled.

He frowned again. Sometimes he thought that deciphering her descriptions was as difficult as actually fighting the demons.

Buffy sighed. "Lots of pointy teeth sticking out at different angles. You know, we've really got to work on those cultural references."

"What culture?" he asked as innocently as he could manage.

"Hey! Don't let Xander hear you say that or you won't be rid of him for a month. He'll bring over every movie he's ever quoted and force you to watch them." She grinned at him.

Pleased that he'd managed to set her at ease again, he smiled back. The moment between them stretched, as each seemed reluctant to break contact with the other. The smile faded from Buffy's face as she looked up at him with wide eyes. The seriousness of her expression pulled Giles out of his reverie. He gently lowered her to the pillow and disentangled her hands from his shirt. He brushed her hair back from her face and allowed his hand to linger briefly on her cheek before he pulled away.

"Go back to sleep Buffy," he said, his voice husky. "I don't think you'll have another dream, but I'll be right over here if you need me." He returned to the chair, turned out the light and tried to make himself comfortable. She was quiet for so long he again thought she'd fallen back to sleep. When she spoke her low voice startled him.

"Giles, I didn't recognize this demon. It wasn't one I've ever fought before. Do you think this is one of those dreams of mine that'll come true?" She sounded worried.

"I won't lie to you, Buffy. I don't know. And yet, it may just be a dream. We'll look for your demon tomorrow." He spoke soothingly, trying to reassure her with his voice that everything would be all right.

"OK," she said doubtfully and then yawned.

This time the silence stretched until Giles heard the rhythm of her breathing change. He smiled to himself in relief and drifted off to sleep undisturbed for what was left of the night.

When Giles made his way downstairs after his shower early the next morning he was surprised to find Xander already awake, drinking coffee. He looked around the room but didn't see any sign of Willow or Oz.

Xander smiled and said, "Willow didn't want to impose on you so she had Oz take her back to the dorm this morning. She said to tell you they'd be back later this afternoon to check on Dead Boy's email."

Giles raised his eyebrows.

"OK. Will didn't call him Dead Boy, but hey, I take my petty fun where I can get it." He grinned. "Anyway, they left me to explain to you. Besides, I needed the caffeine. And now that you're awake and I've had my coffee fix, I'll be headin' out too. The basement beckons." He drained the last of his coffee and took the mug into the kitchen.

"Xander?"

"Yeah?" Xander paused in the act of gathering his stuff.

Giles cleared his throat. "Thank you."

Xander straightened, his expression serious for a moment before he grinned. "You're welcome. I'll see you guys later, OK?"

Giles nodded and watched the younger man take his leave. He went into the kitchen and made his tea and a light breakfast. He hoped that Buffy would sleep late as she needed the rest.

A few hours later he heard a noise on the stairs and looked up from the book he was perusing to see Buffy on the bottom step. Her hair was still wet from her shower. She was barefoot and dressed in the sweatpants and T-shirt Willow had sent over the day before.

"Where is everyone?" Buffy looked around curiously.

"They'll be back later. How are you feeling?" He searched her face for signs of fatigue.

"Fine." She caught his look and added, "Really. I feel OK. Not a hundred percent, but no worse than after a tough night or two of slaying."

Giles nodded. "Try to take it easy for the next few days. There shouldn't be any lasting effects of the magic, but it won't hurt to be careful. Now that you're awake I need to go back to my office and pick up some things. I would have gone earlier, but I didn't want to leave you to wake up here by yourself."

She gestured at her sweatpants. "I'll go with you. This seems to be all that Willow brought for me. We can stop at my Mom's on the way so I can change and check on the house."

"Buffy, it's not necessary for you to--"

"Giles. Please?" She cocked her head and gazed at him seriously, fists planted on her hips. "I'm here, not in Mexico, and I really don't like the idea of you going anywhere alone right now. Especially after that last nightmare."

He sighed and gave in. "All right. It's probably just as well that you conserve your energy. I'll take you to your mother's and then we'll go on to the campus. But we are going to have a chat about this."

She nodded and looked at him pleadingly. "I know, but just for now humor me? OK?"


	7. Chapter 7

An hour later Buffy and Giles walked across the campus together, heading for his office in the Anthropology building. They argued good-naturedly about her plan to stay at Giles' until the demon was found and vanquished. She'd packed an overnight bag while changing clothes at her mother's house and their disagreement had started the moment she'd tossed it onto the rear seat of the Citroen. At least she'd managed to keep the discussion light, she thought, and Giles didn't seem all that irritated. Impulsively Buffy grabbed his hand and held it while they walked.

The campus felt strangely deserted, a combination of it being Sunday and Spring Break. The paths and buildings were quiet, the grounds peaceful in the sunshine. This must be what it's like on campus during the summer, she thought idly. They'd nearly reached the quad when they heard a shocked voice call out.

"Buffy?"

She turned and saw Brian Callahan at the entrance of the Computer Science building. He stared at her for a moment with a mixture of hurt and confusion on his face. Buffy tried to smile at him and hoped her expression didn't look as guilty as she suddenly felt. He walked over to the two of them.

"Brian," she said brightly. "What a surprise! Guess you weren't expecting to see me, huh?"

"No, can't say that I was. I thought you were going to go see your father?" Brian frowned at their joined hands. "Hello Giles."

"Callahan."

Not this again, Buffy thought. "I was supposed to meet Dad in L.A. and then we were flying to a resort in Mexico, but--"

Giles interrupted. "Buffy came down with a nasty case of the flu on Friday. I didn't think it wise for her to travel. Today's the first day she's felt better." His tone was clipped and challenging.

Buffy blinked and glanced up at him before turning back to Brian. "Uh, yeah. And Dad thought that was a good idea too. He went on ahead without me. I don't have any way of getting in touch with him, so I guess the vacation's off for this year."

"Oh." Brian looked at her silently for a few moments and then grinned. "I'm sorry you had to miss your vacation, but I guess that makes me the lucky one. Since you're still in town we can get together during the Break. How about I call you later? Will you be staying in your dorm room or at your mother's?"

Buffy returned his smile a bit desperately. She couldn't very well tell Brian that she planned to stay at Giles' place. "Sounds like fun. But why don't I call you instead? I'm going to be all over the place and I honestly don't know when or where to tell you that I'll be."

Brian's eyes narrowed as they flicked towards Giles and he nodded. "OK. Give me a call. I was thinking dinner tomorrow night would be fun."

"Sure. I'll call you later today?"

Brian nodded.

Giles tugged on Buffy's hand and she said, "Well, we gotta go. I'll see you later."

Brian smiled. "That you will." He glanced at Giles and nodded once. "Giles."

"Callahan."

Buffy allowed herself to be pulled along towards the quad. She was almost giddy with relief that the confrontation was over. And a confrontation was what it had felt like. She glanced up at Giles' face and was startled to see him look grim. Just what the hell was going on between Giles and Brian she wondered? Here all she'd thought she had to deal with was a demon. And what was she going to do about tomorrow night? Maybe she could convince Giles to just stay inside with Willow and the others while she went out. Oh yeah, and maybe she should check her feet for those ruby slippers while she was busy retreating from reality, she thought sourly.

They reached the entrance to the Anthropology building and Giles held the door for her. They rode the elevator to his floor in silence. He unlocked his office, ushered her inside and closed the door.

Buffy watched Giles nervously. She wanted to ask him what the deal was between Brian and him, but part of her was reluctant to hear his answer. She was thoroughly confused and she didn't like it one bit.

Giles sorted through papers on his desk, laying some aside and putting others into various folders. He turned to the small bookshelf behind his desk and selected a couple of books, which he added to the top of a stack of folders. He glanced up at Buffy and smiled.

Buffy returned his smile with relief. Maybe she was just being a bit overly, she thought.

"Are you hungry?" Giles asked.

Buffy blinked. "Huh?"

"I asked if you're hungry. I didn't realize it would be such a difficult question." He sounded amused.

She grinned. "Very funny. Yeah, now that you mention it I guess I am kind of hungry."

He nodded. "Good. We'll stop for lunch on the way back to my place. Unless you'd rather I just drop you at your mother's?" He raised his eyebrow, a funny look on his face.

She shook her head. "Oh no you don't. You're not getting rid of me that easily. Lunch would be nice, thank you very much. And then we'll go to your place. I don't need to go back to Mom's. I already packed my bag and put it in your car, remember? There's nothing else I need over there." She pursed her lips and waited for their argument to resume.

He just grinned back at her. "Very well. I'm through here, so we may as well be on our way." He carried his stack of papers and books under one arm and held the office door for her with his other hand.

Buffy frowned as she watched him lock his office. She'd been expecting a continuation of their argument about her staying at his condo. He'd told her when she'd thrown her bag into the back seat of his car that she wasn't staying with him. Why'd he suddenly give in?


	8. Chapter 8

By the time they returned to Giles' later that afternoon Buffy was exhausted. Willow and Oz were sitting on the front steps waiting for them to arrive. Giles unlocked the door and watched in concern as Buffy shouldered her overnight bag and slowly climbed the stairs.

"Giles?" Willow asked softly. "How's Buffy?"

Giles gazed up the stairs thoughtfully. "The dagger's magic combined with the spell has left her far more fatigued than I expected, but it won't last much longer. She'll be fine."

Willow looked up at the Watcher and frowned. "You don't seem to be all that tired."

He glanced down at her and said, "No, but then I wasn't touched by the dagger. You must remember that the dagger is very old and very powerful. I dare say that it was only Buffy's extraordinary ability to heal that allowed her to resist as long as she did. We might not have been able to save anyone else had they been cut with it."

She nodded. "So what are we going to do with it now?"

"I really don't know, Willow." He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Until we have more information I suppose I'll leave it where I put it -- locked away in a box I've placed with the rest of the weapons."

Xander walked in the front door after a perfunctory knock. "Hey Will, Giles. I saw Oz's van out front and figured you guys were already here. Where's Buffy?"

"She was tired so she went upstairs to lie down." Willow smiled. "I guess I should probably check for email." She sat at the dining table next to Oz and opened her laptop.

Giles wandered into the living room and surveyed the remaining shelves of books that needed to be put into order. The only way he was going to be effective with research was to organize. Somehow the thought of working with the books didn't hold as much interest as the idea of going upstairs to check on Buffy. He shook his head slightly and decided to just get on with it.

"So, Giles? Where do you want me to start?" Xander asked quietly.

He glanced over at the younger man and smiled. "I suppose we should start where we left off the other night. Let me find the clipboard and we'll get to work." He checked the top of his desk and found what he was looking for buried under a couple of texts he'd examined and discarded in his search for information on the dagger.

Oz called out from the other room, "Giles. I think you're going to want to hear this."

"What is it?"

Willow looked up, her face serious. "Another email from Angel. He says he's got a little more information about the prophecy he mentioned. He's going back to the original Gaelic of the _Annales_ because he doesn't trust his translated version, but he said to tell you it has to do with something called the _Malleus Abyssum_. Do you know what that is?"

Giles frowned. "No. You're sure it's _Abyssum_? Not _Maleficarium_?"

Willow nodded. "What are they?"

"The _Malleus Maleficarium_ is the _Witches' Hammer_. It was the witch hunter's manual of the Catholic Church. I've never heard of the _Malleus Abyssum_. The translation is roughly _Hell's Hammer_." He shook his head. "Is that all he sent you?"

"Yeah."

"Let him know that as soon as he has anything more that we'd like to know about it." Giles frowned and returned to the living room, followed by Xander and Oz.

"So, where do we start looking for this Hammer?" Xander asked.

"What hammer?" Buffy's soft voice from the foot of the stairs caused them to turn with a start.

"Hey Buff. How're ya doin'?" Xander smiled.

Buffy yawned. "Tired. I hate feeling tired." She sat down on the couch.

"Perhaps you should try to get some more rest." Giles sat on the arm of the couch and looked down at her seriously.

She shook her head. "Couldn't sleep. It was too quiet. Maybe I could help? Or at least, I can sit here and provide moral support?"

Giles hesitated. "Well, I suppose it won't hurt for you to be down here."

She smiled. "And if I do get sleepy I can always stretch out on the couch. Besides, I've got some questions for you."

Willow joined Buffy on the couch. She gave an imperceptible nod to Giles.

"What's bothering you?" he asked Buffy.

"I was just wondering what the deal was the other night. You know, with that dagger-thingie of the, um, I want to say _Try-my-grits_ guy?" She wrinkled her nose in confused concentration.

Giles fought to keep a straight face and said solemnly, "Trismegistus. It means _Thrice Greatest_. What about it?"

"It's just that it seemed awfully powerful for any old vampire to be using. So, what's the deal?" She looked at him expectantly. "Who's this _Thrice Greatest_ guy?"

Giles nodded thoughtfully and unconsciously adopted a lecturing tone. "You're right, of course. A vampire such as that shouldn't have had the dagger. The Trismegistus was better known as Hermes Trismegistus, Hermes the Thrice Greatest. The ancient Egyptians worshipped him as Thoth, the god of the dead. In reality he was a very powerful demon. There are many interesting legends about him, though most of what is attributed to him is mere distortion of the truth."

"Giles," Buffy said warningly, "the Cliff's Notes version?"

"Oh, well, yes. The Thrice Greatest had two very powerful magical artifacts. The dagger was one. The other was a large gem called the Emerald Tablet. The distorted legend is that the Tablet was inscribed with the secrets of the universe. A false translation of the Tablet is part of something called _The Hermetica_ and has been worshipped by charlatans for centuries. The truth is that the Tablet was a key which purportedly could unlock the interface between our reality and the demon plane."

Willow's eyes widened. "You mean it could open the Hellmouth?"

He shook his head. "Not just open it. If wielded by one who had the power and the right spells it could dissolve the barriers between the two realities. The Hellmouth would be unnecessary. Demons would be a part of this reality, everywhere, and at once."

"That would be bad," Willow whispered in horror.

"If it could do all that, then why didn't this Hermes guy make it happen?" Xander asked.

Giles shook his head. "A very good question. Records from the time only indicate that something pivotal was missing. The Tablet provided the key, but something more was required to turn the lock. Unfortunately, no record exists of what that something was."

"Where's the Tablet now?" Oz asked.

"Not to worry. The Tablet was destroyed over a thousand years ago by St. Gildas." Giles smiled at them reassuringly.

"Uh, Giles?" Xander raised his hand. "Not to poop the party here, but didn't you say the same thing about the dagger? What're the odds that this Emerald Tablet thing is still around somewhere?"

Giles sucked in his breath and leaned forward. "If it does exist then we must find and destroy it. I shudder to think of the consequences if the Emerald were to fall into the wrong hands."

Willow's eyes widened and she stood up suddenly. "I...I think I should check my email." She rushed into the other room.

Oz silently followed her.

Buffy watched them go. "Willow expecting something important?" she asked, puzzled.

"Something like that," Xander said quickly. "So, who was this St. Gildas and why does everyone think he destroyed the Tablet?"

"St. Gildas was an English monk mentioned in one of the Watcher's journals. Evidently he was aware of the Watcher and Slayer and considered their battle to be on the side of Good, though the Church didn't sanction their activities. He even performed a bit of magic now and then, which was most definitely against Church dictates. It was that same Watcher who chronicled the destruction of the Tablet."

"How'd he do it?" Buffy asked.

"By the use of St. Gildas' Fire. It was a magical fire that consumed not only the physical object, but also the magic it contained. Too many spells of destruction cause more harm than good when they're used. By consuming the magic, destroying it if you will, the Fire prevented the magic from being loosed accidentally. Unfortunately the secret to creating the Fire has been lost."

Buffy looked thoughtful. "Is that how the dagger was supposed to have been destroyed?"

Giles nodded. "They were destroyed at the same time. Of course, we now know that the dagger survived."

"Yeah, I'd say Xander's right." Buffy looked unhappy. "The tablet's probably around somewhere. And this Hermes-demon is supposed to be history too?"

Giles nodded. "He was beheaded by the slayer. That event actually is well documented and not just in the Watcher's journal. I don't believe we'll have to worry about running into the Thrice Greatest."

"So then he isn't the demon from my nightmare?" She frowned.

"No. But it won't hurt to start with everything we can find about him. It may give us a clue as to which demon we may be dealing with, that is assuming that the demon in your dream was real."

"OK. So, what's the deal with this hammer thing you were talking about when I came down?"

Giles glanced at Willow as she returned to the living room with Oz. She shook her head slightly and he turned back to Buffy. "My, um, contact sent information about something called the _Malleus Abyssum_, which translates to _Hell's Hammer_. All we have is the name. We don't know what it is or what it can do."

"So, we're into research-mode then?" Buffy smiled.

Xander groaned and said, "Yeah. Looks like it's time for research-boy to start flippin' pages." He looked expectantly at Giles. "So, G-Man, where do you want me to start?"

 

~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~ooo~~~~~~~

 

Buffy closed the book on her lap when she realized she wasn't focusing on the words. She was tempted to lean back on the couch and close her eyes, but a stubborn little voice inside her head wouldn't allow her to sleep. She glanced around Giles' living room. Xander was sprawled on the floor several feet away with a stack of books next to him. Willow and Oz were in the other room searching the 'net for anything they could find about the Emerald Tablet, the Hammer, the Thrice Greatest, and the demon from her nightmare. Giles sat at his desk, poring over the ancient texts stacked on top of it.

She sighed to herself. It was still afternoon but the room seemed dark. Buffy suddenly felt the need to have the sun on her face, if only for a few minutes. She stood and stretched, drawing Giles' gaze.

"Buffy," he asked quietly, "are you all right?"

"Yeah." She tried to smile at him. "I just need a little air. I thought I'd go out and sit in your courtyard for a bit, if that's OK?"

"Of course." He sounded concerned.

She could feel his eyes on her as she left the condo. The little courtyard was dappled with the afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves of the surrounding trees. She slipped into one of the patio chairs and placed her elbows on the small table. It was cozy out here, she thought. She closed her eyes and leaned forward, letting the sun warm her face.

"Buffy?" Willow asked hesitantly.

Buffy turned and smiled at her friend. "Hey Will."

"Is everything OK?" Willow sat down across the table from her.

"Yeah. I guess."

"Want to talk about it?"

Buffy sighed. "I don't know. I'm still kinda tired. And I've got to call Brian."

Willow smiled. "Oh, that's right. He thinks you left town for the Break."

"Not any more. Giles and I ran into him earlier today on campus. He wants to go out tomorrow night."

"That's a good thing, right?" Willow peered at Buffy's face. "Why don't you sound happier about it?"

"It's just that I'm worried about leaving Giles alone right now. Until we know what the sitch is I don't like the idea that he still might be in danger." She also wasn't about to bring up the strange attitude Giles and Brian seemed to have towards one another. "I'm going to patrol tonight and that would mean two nights in a row that I have to leave him alone."

"We'll be here tonight so you don't have to worry about him while you patrol. And we're going to have to research, so we can make sure he's OK tomorrow night, too." Willow frowned. "It's just dinner, right? You should go. And you've got your pager, so if anything did happen we could reach you."

"Yeah, but--"

"No buts." Willow put on her resolve face. "You need to go out. You like Brian. He likes you. It's settled."

Buffy laughed softly and raised her hands. "OK, OK. I know better than to argue with the resolve face." She turned serious. "Will, could I ask you something?"

Willow nodded.

"That spell you guys did? What exactly did it do?"

Willow blinked. "Um, well, it's called the Spell of Completion. The dagger's magic was eating your soul. We explained that, right?"

"Yeah. But you never did say how the spell worked." Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and sat back in her chair.

"Oh. Well, it required Giles and you to offer part of your soul to each other."

"What?" Buffy's eyes widened. "How is that possible?"

Willow looked uncomfortable. "It's magic. I guess with magic just about anything is possible. It was really incredible to watch. You probably ought to ask Giles if you want more details. I just followed his instructions." She stood up. "Are you going to stay out here?"

She nodded. "I'll see you inside in a few minutes."

"OK." Willow gave her a small smile and went back to the research.

Buffy tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth. She wasn't surprised that Giles would be willing to give up part of his soul to her. It was just like him to do something like that and not mention it. At all. Ever. Not even when she'd said she couldn't remember what had happened. And then argue with her about her desire to make sure he was safe. Could he be more stubborn, she wondered?

She sighed again and stood up to go inside and call Brian.

 

**Concluded in _Jewel of the Hellmouth_, part 3 of _The Emerald Tablet_**


End file.
